Shattered
by AlanisJunkie
Summary: Penny gets fired. I don't really know what else to say. Now Complete
1. Fire Away

Shattered-Chapter 1- Fire Away  
  
Penny walks into the office with a CD player in her hand and headphones around her neck. The music was playing loudly and anyone within ten feet of her could hear Tina Turner's "What's Love Got to Do With It?" Penny walks over to her desk and sits down. She turns the music off, yawns, puts her head down on her desk, and sighs sleepily. Jake opens the door to his office and walks out.  
  
J-"Hey, Penny, can I talk to you for a minute?"  
  
Her response is muffled because she is talking into her desk.  
  
P-"Yeah, sure."  
  
She lifts her head, stands up, and walks into his office. Jake follows her and closes the door behind them. He walks over to his desk and sits down. Penny is still standing in the middle of his office.  
  
J-"Please sit down." ~Damn, he sounds upset~  
  
Penny doesn't sit down. "What's going on?"  
  
J- "Please just sit down."  
  
She walks over to the couch and sits down. "Fine, I'm sitting. Now what the hell is going on?"  
  
J- "I'm not sure how to say this but . . ."  
  
~Shit this doesn't sound good~  
  
J-"Um, I got word from Sunbrite. The show isn't getting good ratings  
and consequentially isn't making the money it should be. I was given a  
list of non-productive and unnecessary employees they want me to fire  
and,"  
  
+Why do I have to tell her this?+  
  
P-" I'm on the list aren't I?"  
J-" Yes, I'm afraid you are."  
P-"I guess that make sense because I'm both nonproductive and unnescessary."  
  
+Why does she always beat herself up like that?+  
  
J-"No you're not Penny. I wish I had the 10 grand to keep the show  
running just to keep you around."  
P-"You need ten grand?" She pauses.  
  
~I could give him the money, but that would break my big secret~  
  
P-"Wow that's a lot. Well what can you do? Um, I'm gonna go gather my  
stuff. Don't wanna hang around being unnesesary for too long." She  
laughs. " Call me if there's any change."  
J-"I will."  
  
She turns to leave. But then she suddenly turns back right before she opens the door.  
  
P-"Jake why did you say all that stuff about keeping me around?"  
  
~I hope it was because he started feeling for me what I feel for him~  
  
J-"Because you're my best friend."  
P-"Oh, uh, okay."  
  
She begins to open the door.  
  
J-"Penny?"  
  
She turns back, looking very hopeful.  
  
J-"I'm sorry."  
P-"Me too."  
  
She looks at him wistfully for a moment before looking at the floor and walking out.  
  
A/N: There will be another chapter eventually. And so there is no confusion. This + is Jakes thoughts and this ~ is Penny's 


	2. Possible Rendezvous

Chapter 2- Possible Rendezvous  
  
*A week has passed*  
  
Penny is sitting on her couch watching T.V. There are beer cans and bags of chips all over the place. She looks like she hasn't combed her hair and she is wearing a baggy t-shirt and a pair of boxers. She looks fairly sober and is drinking a diet coke. The door opens and a girl walks in.  
  
C-"Wow this place is a mess, although that's not saying much for you.  
What have you been doing all week?"  
P-"Not much, Charity. I've pretty much done nothing but eat and  
sleep." ~And think about Jake~  
C-"Okay, just to get you out of the house, we're going to call some  
friends to go and check out that new nightclub."  
P-"Yeah. Let me shower."  
  
*Jake and Dylan's*  
  
They are sitting on the couch, sort of cuddling, and watching T.V. Jake looks distracted and upset.  
  
D-"What's wrong?"  
J-"Nothing."  
D-"C'mon, I can tell something's bothering you. What is it?"  
J-"I dunno. I just feel really bad about firing all those people."  
D-"Let me guess. You're thinking about a certain person."  
J-"Yeah." +Of course all I ever think about is her+  
D-"Why do you think that is?"  
J-"I don't know! She's my best friend and I had to fire her, and on  
top of that I never see her. I guess I just worry about her." +Maybe more than I should. I don't have feelings for her . . . do I?+  
D-"To get your mind off of this we can go out tonight. Why don't we  
check out that new nightclub."  
J-(a little skeptically) "Sure." +Like it'll help. Like anything will take Penny off my mind.+ 


	3. Really Got a Hold On Me

Chapter 3- Really Got a Hold on Me  
  
*Shattered*  
  
Penny is sitting at a table with her friends. There are a few shot glasses on the table in front of her. She picks up a full one, drinks it and puts it back down. She begins to speak and her voice is slightly slurred.  
  
P-"I don't get it. I mean, sure I took back what I said," her voice  
rises as she gets angry," but you'd expect Jake to give a damn about  
me."  
C-"I'm sure he does. But, maybe he's afraid to tell you because it  
might hurt that Dylan girl he's with. Either way he doesn't deserve  
you."  
P-"Yeah you're right."  
  
Jake and Dylan walk into Shattered. A DJ announces that they are going to be taking dedicated requests. They walk over to a table and sit down. Jake sees Penny sitting at a table a few feet away.  
  
J-"Hey, look Dylan, Penny's here.  
D-"Yeah, do you wanna go talk to her?"  
J-"No, it looks like she's talking to her friends."  
  
*Penny's Table*  
  
P-"You know what? Even if he doesn't deserve me, I still love him. I can't help it."  
C-"Hun, just a thought. Maybe if you signed a nice check for the ten  
thousand he needs, he might see you as someone he could possibly  
love."  
P-"I thought about that, but I figured it'll seem like I'm paying him  
to love me. And then it'll probably blow up in my face. Then I'll be  
stuck with my secret out and no Jake.  
C-"Okay then, no check."  
  
The DJ gets up on the stage and says that they need a request. Penny looks around to see if anyone is going up, and sees Jake sitting with Dylan.  
  
P-"Oh God, he's here. He's sitting over there." She subtly gestures with her head.  
DJ-"Anyone with a song?"  
C-"That's it! Dedicate a love song to him." Penny thinks for a moment, smiles and says, "I think I will." She drinks another shot and gets, unsteadily, to her feet.  
P-"Hey, I've got a song for you."  
DJ-"Thank you. Please come up and tell me the song and dedication.  
I'll see what I can do."  
  
Penny goes up to the stage and talks to the DJ. About 2 minutes later she heads back to her table and sits down. The DJ goes up to the mike and says, "Okay folks, this song goes from Penny to Jake. Jake and Dylan stop talking and look at Penny, who is apparently staring off into space. The song starts playing. It's Cyndi Lauper's version of "You Really Got a Hold On Me." The song ends and another one begins.  
  
*Jake and Dylan's Table*  
  
D-"Well I think her meaning was perfectly clear." Jake, who is avoiding the subject picks up a menu and says, "Hey look, they make Pina Colada's."  
D-"Come on Jake, I know you understood what she meant by the song."  
J-"No I didn't."  
D-"Yes you did."  
J-"Okay I did." +And now I'm more confused than ever+  
D-"What are you going to do about it?"  
J-"Um . . . I was thinking, nothing."  
D-"Fine, whatever. That's your choice."  
  
*Penny's Table*  
  
P-"I can't believe I just did that."  
C-"Well, at least it out in the open."  
P-"Oh right, I forgot, that makes everything all better."  
C-"Well, it helps doesn't it?"  
P-"No it doesn't. Can we just leave?"  
C-"Yeah, Hun. Sure." They stand up and drop the money on the table. They walk out. Jake watches her go, confused and upset. 


	4. Messed Up

Chapter 4- Messed Up  
  
The next day  
  
Jake and Dylan are in their apartment getting ready for work  
  
J-"Maybe I should go talk to her."  
D-"If you think it would help."  
J-"Okay, I'm going to."  
  
He grabs his keys and heads out the door. He goes down to his car and climbs in. He picks up his cell and dials. The other end rings for a while until Claire picks up.  
  
CA-"What do you want?"  
J-"I have a problem. I think Penny loves me and I think I might love  
her too. But I don't wanna hurt Dylan. What should I do?"  
  
He waits for Claire to answer. After a bit he hears a sigh, a click and a dial tone.  
  
Well, I see she's as helpful as ever.  
  
Penny's apartment  
  
She is sleeping on the couch, wearing the same outfit she was wearing the previous night. There is a knock on the door. She rolls over, sticks her face in the cushions and grumbles. There is another, louder knock. She groans, picks her head up and says, "Whoever you are, go away."  
  
J-"Penny it's me. Can I please come in?"  
P-"I said 'Go away.' I have a hangover."  
J-"I really think there's something we need to talk about."  
  
When she didn't respond he opened the door. Penny picks her head up out of the cushions, glares at him and says, "What do you want, asshole. Never mind. I know. I don't wanna talk about it. It was nothing. And I know you came to try and let me down easy, and it's not necessary. Cause I don't care. I'm done caring."  
  
J-"Fine! If that's how you wanna play it I'll leave. But before I go  
I will tell you this. That attitude you take towards everything and  
everyone, coupled with your disregard for everything but yourself, is  
the only thing that has ever kept me from being with you. From loving  
you."  
  
With that he storms out, leaving Penny all alone, staring after him. Tears begin to run down face as she puts her head in her hands  
  
How did everything get so messed up? How do I begin to make this  
right? How do I fix this? What am I supposed to do? 


	5. Blue Note

Chapter 5- Blue Note  
  
Jake arrives at work and goes and gets a cup of coffee and some papers. He then heads into his office. He closes the door and sits at his desk. He starts writing notes on some of the papers. After about 15 minutes he stops.  
  
Why does she always have to be such a cold-hearted bitch? She'll  
never learn to care about anyone but . . .   
  
He was shaken from his thoughts by a knock on the door. He doesn't look up as it opens. He expects it to be Dylan, coming to ask him how things had gone. So, needless to say, he was surprised when Penny sat in the chair across from him. He looks up at her in surprise and she gives him a soft, sad smile.  
  
P-"Hi, Jake. I just wanted to drop this off."  
  
She pulls an envelope out of her purse, holds it up so he can see it and then puts it on his desk.  
  
P-"Bye, Jake." for good  
  
She walks out of his office, gently pulling the door closed behind her. He picks up the envelope and opens it. Inside are a folded up piece of paper and a smaller envelope, that said, "read the note first." Taking the envelope's advice he picks up the piece of paper and slowly unfolds it. He begins to read it.  
  
'Jake. For you to understand me and the way I act, it is necessary for  
me to tell you something about myself. When I was growing up, my  
family had certain expectations for me. I had to act this way, dress  
that way, go to this school, marry this kind of man . . . and I hated  
it. They expected me to be a prissy, sweet, girly-girl. To piss them  
off I started copping an attitude. Then I grew up and fell in love.  
And I got my heart broken. And that's when I realized that the defense  
I used against my parents, would keep me from getting hurt. So that  
attitude became more than an act, it became a way of life. It was a  
good defense from getting hurt because it kept people away so they  
never got a chance to love me and I never got a chance to love them.  
But that didn't stop me from loving you. And that scared me . . . a  
lot. Well, anyway, you're right. I do show disregard for everyone but  
myself. So I'm going to do something to show you I am capable of  
caring. Open the other envelope. You'll find a note and something  
else. Don't ask any questions.  
  
Love Always,  
Penny  
  
He slowly picks up the envelope and opens it. Inside are a note and a  
check for 10,000 dollars. He stares at the check in disbelief before  
picking up the note. It says, "Hire back everyone else." He picks up  
the check again.  
  
How could she afford this? She's the type who lives on cereal.  
  
Then he notices the signature on the check. Instead of Penny Barnes,  
how she always gave her name, it said Penelope Barnes Barrington. Bur  
he didn't care about the name she used or where she got the money. All  
he cared about was the fact that he loved her and that she loved him  
but . . .  
  
What am I going to tell Dylan?  
  
Penny's apartment  
  
Penny, who had just gotten home, walked into her kitchen and grabbed  
her phone. She had just blown her secret, her chance with Jake and on  
top of that she had no job. There was nothing left for her in Miami.  
She knew what she had to do. She dialed and waited until a voice on  
the other line said, "Hello?"  
  
P-"Hi, Mom. I'm coming home." 


	6. It's Not Fair, For Anyone

Chapter 6- It's Not Fair, For Anyone  
  
Jake walks out of his office and begins to look for Dylan. He finds her and says, "Dylan can you come into my office so we can talk?"  
  
D-"Yeah, honey. Sure."  
  
He walks into his office and she follows. When they get into his office he closes the door, sits on the couch and beckons Dylan to sit next to him.  
  
D- "Okay, Jake. What do you want to talk about?"  
J- "I don't exactly know what to say. I don't know how to talk about this."  
  
Dylan is starting to look quite worried but just looks comfortingly at him and says, "OK. Just start talking. You'll find the words eventually."  
  
J- "Ok. Here goes. We've been dating for quite awhile now. And I  
really care about you."  
D-"Yeah I care about you, too."  
J-"Do you ever find yourself caring, in a romantic way, for someone  
other than me?"  
D-"No I don't. Why?"  
  
Jake jumps up and turns to face her.  
  
J-"Sometimes I do. I'm not always sure why. Maybe I have feelings for  
this other person. Maybe it's because you and I rushed into a  
relationship, and I'm only getting scared now. I just don't know. I  
don't wanna hurt you, I care about you too much. But I don't wanna  
pass this other person by. I don't want to hurt her either. I don't  
know what to do.  
  
He stops talking and sits in the chair that Penny had sat in only a half hour before. He looks at Dylan with tears in his eyes. She looks at him for a few moments before saying softly, "Her who?" After sighing, Jake says, "Penny."  
  
D-"I was afraid you'd say that."  
  
She starts to cry. She looks up at him and says, "I can't be with you, knowing that you may be thinking about her."  
  
J-"I know. It's not fair to you . . . or her."  
D-"If you love her so much, leave now and get her."  
  
She stands and walks out of his office. After a beat Jake grabs his car keys and follows. 


	7. Cancelled Credit Cards

Chapter 7- Cancelled Credit Cards

Penny's Apartment

There are boxes strewn about and Penny's friends from the nightclub are there. Most of the boxes are full and there are just a few things still being packed in. Penny is tossing clothing into a box and it is obvious she is crying.

C-"So the van will be here in a few minutes, and when is your flight?"

P-" In an hour, so as soon as the van arrives I'm gonna leave for the airport. Can you make sure everything goes?"

C-" Of course. Oh, yeah, I found this credit card under your bed. I know you don't carry one, so I was wondering who it belonged to."

Penny reaches over and takes the card. She stares at it for a second before realizing that it is Jake's. It was the one he gave her to take to the restaurant. On the night when all this hell began.

I never wanted to remember that night.

Penny presses the card to her heart and starts to sob. Charity subtly gestures for the other girls to leave. Then she turns back to Penny and says, "It's all right, you don't need to talk about it."

P-" No! I want to talk about it now and forget it forever. It's Jake's. He gave it to me when he sent me to wait at a table for him and another woman. I just never bothered giving it back. That bastard broke my heart, and I want to forget him forever. I want to forget all the shit I did to help him be with her. I want to live my life without thinking about him. I just want to leave this all behind me."

She wipes away her tears and begins to put the card into her pocket. Charity reaches out and grabs the card from her. She reaches into her own pocket and pulls out a Swiss army knife. She hold both out, looks Penny in the eye and says, "You want to leave this all behind and forget about him? Then cut the card." Penny stares at Charity for a second before grabbing the knife and card. She takes a deep breath and slices the card in half. She doesn't look any happier.

P-"Thanks, but it didn't help."

Right then the van pulls up. Penny and Charity hug. Charity pulls away and says, " Well this is it I guess. Go make yourself happy." Penny grabs her purse and suitcase and heads out the door saying, "Goodbye Miami, and everyone that inhabits you."


	8. A Little Too Late

Chapter 8- A Little Too Late

Jake parks in front of Penny's apartment. As he climbs out of his car he sees a moving van pull away, but its significance didn't register with him. He climbs the steps and knocks lightly on her door. No one answers so he knocks louder. Still there is no answer so he starts pounding on the door. Finally Charity opens the door and Jake can hear Sixpence None the Richer's "I Can't Explain" playing.

C-"Can I help you with something?"

J-"Yes, I really need to talk to Penny."

C-"I'm sorry, she just left."

She pushes the door open to show him the emptied apartment.

J-"Where'd she go?"

C-"Back to Greenwich. She's gonna live with her parents for awhile."

J-"Dammit!"

C-" As much as I've enjoyed talking to you I have no idea who you are, so would you mind giving me that information?"

J- "Sorry. I'm Jake Silver."

C- "Oh hey you're Jake. I'm Charity Margelise. Umm, I have something here that belongs to you."

She reaches into her pocket and pulls out the two halves of his credit card. She hands them over to him. He stares at them for a while before pocketing them.

J-"Okay that's unusual."

C-"Yeah, whatever. Anyway why are you here?"

Jake leans against the door and sighs. "Well I came here to tell her that I love her." Charity comes over next to him and says, "Wow, you have horrible timing."

J-" It seems like with her I always do. I've never realized that I have feelings deeper than friendship for her until it's too late."

C-" Yeah. I'm gonna give you a bit of advice and a bit of help."

She rummages through a box of junk and pulls out a pad of paper. She reaches into Jake's shirt pocket and pulls out one of his pens. She scribbles something down on the paper, rips off the sheet, folds it and slips it and the pen back into his pocket.

C-" That's the address at her parents house. The advice I have to give you is this: don't wait anymore and don't keep changing your mind about who you want to be with. Penny is sick of bending to suit your needs. She's not gonna wait for you forever. Now go get her."

J-" Thank you so much."

With that he turns and runs out the door. Charity calls after him, "Good luck Jake. You'll probably need it.


	9. Music and Memories

Chapter 9- Music and Memories

Penny had arrived at her parents' mansion about and hour ago. Her parents were out having dinner at a friend's house. She strolls silently through the large mansion refamiliarizing herself with the sights and smells of her childhood. She didn't really need to, she still retained the memory of all the little secrets, every minute detail of the house, down to the last tile in her personal bathroom. She is just trying to forget Jake.

She walks into her bedroom and a small laugh escapes from her lips hen she sees all of her favorite things from the past. The things she left behind when she moved to Miami 5 years ago.

God, five whole years. I can't believe it's been that long.

She lifts her suitcase onto her bed. Most of her belongings would arrive the next day but she brought the things she couldn't live without, her CD's.

She pulls out her copy of Alanis Morissette's Feast On Scraps and puts it into her stereo. As the music starts to play she flops back onto her bed.

She lies there humming along, not really thinking, not doing anything at all. Then the song "Bent 4 You" starts playing and the lyrics make thoughts of Jake rush into her head. It's amazing that she can't remember what she had for breakfast but she can remember everything she and Jake had ever talked about and everything they had done together. She also remembers every rude comment she had ever made to him. There were some things she never wanted to forget and others that she wanted to push as far from her as possible.

She wanted to remember the fun things they had done together. She laughs as she thinks about the time they had fake dated. The look on Dylan's face was great when she threw that bagel at Jake. She wants to remember that time they had fed lines to that dumb-ass Keira girl. She wants to remember when she could just fall asleep on the couch in his office. She wants to remember that amazing first kiss and their short but nice relationship. Sure those are good things but what about all the awful things she had done to him.

She wants to forget that whole friends with benefits thing and the fact that Jake thought of her as his "little brother." She wants to forget that stupid watch she had bought for him. She did want to spend time with him but he'd never care. She really wants to forget that horrible night at the restaurant. She wants to forget that he had run away with Dylan to New York. God, she even wants to forget that Dylan.

The CD ends and the silence rouses her from her depressing thought. She growls at herself and seriously considers punching herself.

Christ Penelope, stop being a fucking child. It's over, it's done, he's happy with Miss Perfect. Get over it.

She walks over to the stereo and pulls out the CD. She puts it back in it's case and heads downstairs to try and find something to eat.

Get over it. Yeah right.


	10. PB&J Broken

Chapter 10- PB&J Broken

After Jake's plane lands he runs outside and hails a cab. He opens the door, gets inside and pulls the slip of paper out of his pocket. The driver turns to him and says, "Where to buddy?"

J-" Uhh, 2030 Westchester Road. In Greenwich."

The driver laughs and says, "That's gonna take awhile and it'll cost you."

J-" Doesn't matter, just get me there."

_She's the best friend I've ever had and the greatest woman I have ever met. I can't believe I've been such an idiot. I spent all my time pining over another woman when the most perfect woman in the world was right in front of me the whole time. She saw me for who I am and loved me anyway. Every time she looked at me I thought I saw something in her eyes. She always looked at me like she was looking into my soul. I'm such a moron._

He looks out the window and sees a sign that says, Greenwich 1 mile.

-Penny's Mansion-

Penny is rummaging through her parents fridge looking for something to eat. She settles on a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

_Good old comfort food. PBJ. Hmmm. Penny Barnes and Jake. That's weird. If I were that sort of person I'd take it as a sign._

After she settles down to eat her sandwich the doorbell rings. She is sitting silently in her thoughts so it startles her and she jumps up. Her hip catches the edge of the plate, knocking it too the floor where the sandwich rips apart and the plate shatters.

_Shit. And there's the doorbell again. I'll clean that up later._

She walks the distance into the foyer and opens the door. One the other side is a solicitor. He grins and says, "Hello Miss. I have an exciting opportunity for you."

P- "No, go away. I'm not interested or in the mood to listen to your tired spiel."

She watches as he turns and leaves. She chuckles to herself and turns to close the door. She slams it shut and is about to head back into the kitchen when the doorbell rings again.

_If it's that damn salesman again, I'll freak out._

She opens the door and says, "Listen, buddy. I told you I'm not interested . . . Jake?!"

J- "Hi Penny. Uhh. Can I come in?"

P- "Yeah, sure."

She stands aside to let him in and then closes the door and leads him into the kitchen. She kneels on the floor and starts cleaning up the mess.

J-" Penny, I really need to talk to you. Can you stop that for now and sit up here?"

She sighs and shifts herself up to the table.

P-"What is it?"

He reaches into his pocket and pulls out the note and the check.

J-"First of all I wanted to thank you for this money, but I can't accept it without knowing where it came from."

P-"Hmm. I came home to my parents Greenwich mansion. Fair bet says I'm rich."

J-" I figured. Okay and now the note. Do you really feel this way about me?"

P-" Yes I do."

Jake grins and says, "I feel the same for you." He leans forward and they embrace in a passionate kiss. But the Penny pulls away. She looks into his eyes and says, "I can't do this Jake. I can't be here kissing you because chances are you'll break my heart again. I can't put up with that pain again."

He looks at her astonished and says, "But I . . ." She cuts him off. "But you won't hurt me again, Jake? Is that what you were going to say? You change your mind about who you love so often, Jake. It can't work. You should leave. You can see yourself out."

He stands and walks out of the kitchen pausing to look back at her as she kneels and begins cleaning up the mess. He keeps walking out of the house and doesn't see her crying as she picks up the jagged pieces of glass. She picks up a piece of glass wrong and cuts her finger. As the blood drips onto the tiled floor, she starts sobbing. She picks up the pieces, her heart, like the plate, shattered.

A/N- due to problems all thoughts are now italicized.


	11. Comforting Thoughts and Old Friends

Chapter 11- Comforting Thoughts and Old Friends

-GM,M Offices- (4 weeks have passed since chapter 10)

Dylan and Gavin are standing at the coffee pot. She looks over at the closed door of Jake's office and sighs. Gavin nudges her arm and asks, "What's going on with the hobbit?"

D-" He and I broke up because he's in love with Penny. He went to find her and tell her, but I'm guessing she turned him down."

G- "Ouch, really? That much heartbreak in that amount of time has gotta be hard to handle. I actually feel bad for the furry midget. I think I'll go talk to him."

Dylan hugs Gavin and says, "That is so sweet of you!" When she pulls away he smiles down at her and says, "I've missed hugging you." He sighs. "I still love you Dylan. I was wondering if you'd be willing to give me another chance."

She smiles and says, "Maybe a dinner sometime." "Really? Great." He smiles brightly at her and then walks into Jake's office.

He grabs a chair and sits down across from Jake.

G- "What's wrong?"

J-" Nothing."

G-" Come on, Jake. Tell me what happened."

J-" Fine. I went all the way to New York to tell Penny I loved her. And when I got there she just turned me down."

G- "Why do you think she turned you down? She does love you, right?"

J-" Yeah she does, but she said I was just going to change my mind about loving her and break her heart again."

G-" Won't you?"

J-" What is that supposed to mean?"

Gavin sighs and looks at him. He leans forward and says, "Okay. I dated Penny for a while. So I can safely tell you that you will never meet another woman like her. Once she and I got down to talking about our pasts. She told me that before she moved to Miami she had been in love, but when she told the guy he just shut her down. She came to Miami when she was 24; to try to forget all the pain he caused her. She's 29 now. She told me that she had been about to quit working here a few days before you showed up and decided to stay the day before you began working here. She said she thought it had been fate. She believes completely in fate, but maybe now she's thinking she was wrong about you. Maybe you need to prove to her that somehow you are fated to be together."

J-"I don't know how I'd do that."

G-" Don't worry, you'll figure it out."

He stands and heads for the door. His hand is on the doorknob and says, "I'm really sorry that she tuned you down. I know that things will work out. And if you tell anyone I said that, I will kill you." With that he walks out the door.

Jake leans back in his chair. After a few minutes he stands and grabs his jacket. He turns off his lights and heads out the door.

He steps into the bright Miami sun and begins to stroll slowly down the street, wrapped up in thoughts of fate. He accidentally bumps into a man.

J-" I'm really sorry. I wasn't paying attention."

The guy shrugs and says, "Oh it's alright. Jake?" Jake looks at him for a second before saying, "Mike! Hi. It's been awhile."

Mike shakes his hand and says, " Yeah, we really need to catch up. You know what, this woman I sort of know is having a housewarming party tonight. She said that I should invite some friends, you want to go? We could catch up there."

Jake smiles and says, "I think a party may be just what I need."

Mike pulls out a piece of paper and writes something on it. "Here's the address. The party starts at eight."

J-" Great, I'll see you there."

_Maybe a party is just what I need. Maybe I'll meet someone. At the very least it'll distract me a bit._

-Later that night-

Jake arrives at the party, which is being held at a gorgeous beach house. The sliding glass door is open so he just walks in and goes to find Mike. He stops and picks up a beer from the open bar. He isn't paying much attention to anything around him so he doesn't notice a picture hanging on the wall next to him. If he did he would realize whose house he was at. Because it was a picture of him and Penny on the beach together while they were dating.


	12. The Big Finale

Chapter 12- The Big Finale

-The beach house-

Penny is mingling with her various guests, serving drinks and talking. She is on her way over to the bar to get herself a beer when Mike stops her.

M- " Hey there, Penny."

P-" Hey, Mike. Enjoying the party?"

M-" Yeah, it's a lot of fun. I invited a few friends to come. Is that alright?"

P-" Of course. The more the merrier. Who'd you invite?"

M-" Geoff Fuentes, Vicki Portenza and Jake Silver."

Penny looks very shocked as she smiles and says, "Oh, that's . . . great! I have to go do . . . something."

She pushes her way through the crowd and heads upstairs to her bedroom. She sits on her bed and pushes her hand through her hair.

_What am I supposed to do if I see him? I just broke his heart and now he's here. Okay Penelope, just breathe. If I see him and he notices me I'll say something if not, then obviously nothing was meant to be between us. Look for the signs, right? If we don't talk, I'll just leave it all be._

She stands up, checks her make-up in the mirror and heads back down to the party. As she reaches the first landing she looks into the crowd and sees Jake about to turn in her direction. Just as he almost sees her, Mike calls his name and he turns back around.

Penny breathes a sigh. Not really a sigh of relief but not a sigh of sadness either. She walks into the crowd and sees him leaning on a wall near the bar, talking to Mike, Geoff and Cara. She needs to get something from the bar and there's no way to get there without him noticing her. She takes a deep breath and plunges through the crowd. Just as she almost reaches the bar she feels something cold and wet rush down the back of her black dress. She lets out a small yelp, practically inaudible over the party noise and turns to see what was spilled on her. There is a younger man standing behind her.

P-" Tommy?"

T-" Yeah, sorry I spilled my beer on you Penny. It was a complete accident."

She forces a smile and says, " No big deal. I'll go change and I'll take this to the dry cleaners later." With that she begins forcing her way through the crowd until she reaches the stairway and rushes up the stairs to her room. She rifles through her closet and pulls out a little blue dress that's just low cut and short enough to draw peoples' eyes.

_Well if he sees me I might as well look sexy._

She pulls off her old dress and quickly changes into the little blue one. She changes her shoes to match and heads downstairs once again. She reaches the bottom of the stairwell, where she sees Jake digging through his pockets and pulling out his car keys. He heads out of the sliding glass doors again and walks to his car.

Penny leans back against the wall and sighs.

_Well, he left so that has to mean that we aren't meant to be. All I wanted was one sign that I made the wrong choice. Oh well. Que sera sera. I'll probably never see him again but it's all for the best. Right?_

(One Week Later)

Jake is walking on the beach early in the morning. It's one of those mornings that are warm enough that long shirtsleeves will be enough, but it is definitely not warm enough to be in the frigid ocean water. Jake doesn't care as he walks barefoot in the water. He's hoping that the cold water will shock him out of the nightmarish daze he's been feeling since he got back from seeing Penny.

He glances into the horizon and sees that he is walking towards a familiar looking beach house. He keeps walking towards it and as he gets closer her sees that there is a woman sitting on the porch.

_I really am obsessed with Penny because I could swear that woman is her. Oh my God, it is her._

He begins running quickly toward that house, finally realizing that it was the same house he had been in a week before. He stumbles as he calls out, "Penny!!!"

She doesn't even turn to look at him as he climbs the stairs on to the porch. She just continues gazing out into the ocean. She lifts her mug of tea to her lips and takes a sip before sighing quietly and motioning for him to take a seat next to her.

As he sits down she begins talking.

P-" Have you ever seen the movie "Breakfast at Tiffany's?"

She glances over at him out of the corner of her eye before continuing without waiting for a response.

P-" Well, everyone is supposed to have one place or thing that makes them whole; makes them feel completely at home. Like how Holly Golightly had Tiffany's. Well going back to New York made me realize that Miami is my place. But I have yet to find that special thing. I thought that maybe it might be you, and for some reason that petrified me. But I came back to Miami, hoping for a sign that you and I could make it. Any sort of sign or connection between us that could have told me that I had made the wrong decision. Then I found out that Mike had invited you and I decided that if we saw each other then maybe we were fated to be together, but even though I saw you a few times one of us always got distracted. So, I chalked that up to fate saying that we shouldn't be together. I was waiting for a sign that just never came."

She sighs and takes a sip of her tea. Leaning back, she finally looks directly at Jake. He looks like he's hidden deep in his thoughts.

_And now he's either confused or hates me. Great. I always get bitten in the ass for telling people the truth._

He leans forward and turns his head to look at her.

J-"'You know what's wrong with you, Miss Whoever-You- Are? You're chicken; you've got no guts. You're afraid to stick out your chin and say, ' Okay, life's a fact, people do fall in love, people do belong to each other because that's the only chance anybody's got for real happiness.' You call yourself a free spirit, a "wild thing," and you're terrified somebody's going to stick you in a cage. Well, baby, you're already in that cage. You built it yourself.'"

He puts his hand on her leg and says, " 'Breakfast at Tiffany's is one of my favorite movies. I thought that quote worked pretty well."

He looks up at her face and sees all these tears running down her face. He takes her face in his hands and wipes her tears away with his thumbs.

She draws in a deep ragged breath and says, " I think that's the kind of sign I was looking for."

She leans forward and catches his lips in a passionate, sensual kiss. As their lips meld together, it feels as if their hearts are melding together, too. Into one beautiful connection, flying past the stars and moons together, in one earth shattering kiss.

A/N- Well, this is it. The ending. I've really loved doing this whole story and I give thanks to just about everyone. It's about time to do the disclaimer- I own absolutely nothing. You can bet your sweet asses the show would still be on if I owned it. If I get 10 reviews I will write a follow up.

P.S.- Did any Constance Zimmer fans catch the Vicki Portenza reference?


End file.
